Bills would help shift homeowners on failing septic to sewer systems

Did you know that the Anne Arundel County 2017 sewer master plan identifies 33 “Wastewater Management Problem Areas”? These problem areas contain septic systems that contaminate drinking water and leach excessive amounts of nitrogen into the Chesapeake Bay.

In fact, the EPA’s 2013 A Model Program for Onsite Management in the Chesapeake Bay watershed estimates that traditional septic system effluent contains approximately 9 pounds of nitrogen per person per year.

This is both an environmental and financial problem for Anne Arundel County, since the county spends millions of dollars to remediate nutrient pollution while leaving unaddressed the problem of contaminated drinking water.

As a county, we can continue reacting inefficiently by pouring millions of dollars into remediating nutrient loads after-thefact, or we can be proactive and address the problem with infrastructure that stops the pollution and contamination. Our county has invested in much-needed upgrades to our wastewater treatment plants but doesn’t yet have a comprehensive plan to address septic systems in problem areas or the critical area.

One solution that solves both of these problems is converting existing septic system communities to public sewers, which can reduce nitrogen concentration in effluent by over 90%. Under the existing County Code, a voluntary petition process allows existing communities to connect to public sewer, but the homeowners must pay the full cost of the sewer extension.

Depending on the scope of the project, that can result in a cost of $65,000 or more for each homeowner who is part of the petition. In many instances, the cost to the homeowner to finance this improvement is equivalent to an additional monthly mortgage payment every year, an amount sufficient to deter most communities from petitioning.

I became aware of these problems during my County Council campaign because Edgewater Beach in District 7 is one of the communities affected. I have since learned its situation is not unique. As a result, I am committed to a countywide, voluntary-based solution.

I am excited to say that after months of Septic Task Force work sessions, policy discussions, and financial modeling — thank you to all the task force members who participated! — I have two bills aimed at incentivizing homeowners to convert from problematic or failing septic systems to public sewer through the voluntary petition process.

The first bill, Bill 90-19, allows an eligible homeowner to defer a portion of the sewer extension costs until they sell or transfer the home, or 40 years — whichever comes sooner.

The second bill, to be introduced Monday, allows the county to contribute up to 25% of the cost of an eligible project (within bond limits and funds availability), with the homeowner responsible for the remainder. Eligibility is defined in both bills to target existing homes set forth in the 2017 master sewer plan and existing homes in the critical area.

Of course, when I promised to focus on quality infrastructure during the campaign, I also promised to do it in a fiscally responsible way. In this regard, the big question is: What are the cost implications to the county for these bills?

Bill 90-19 has no financial impact to the county, other than the time value of money, because the county’s utility fund collects all project costs and interest over a period of years. The deferral simply gives the homeowner a longer period to pay for this environmental and public health upgrade.

The county contribution bill does have a financial impact to the county’s utility fund, but it does not increase taxes or fees. It simply allows the Department of Public Works to allocate utility-fund dollars to this program as funds are available.

As a result, the county is able to leverage public and private dollars, at less cost than what the county currently pays to remediate nutrient pollution, while helping to solve both the environmental and clean drinking water problems. As lead sponsor of these bills, I believe this is an efficient, innovative solution that improves quality of life for all county residents.